Backyard Egg Producers Invited To University Of Rhode Island Survey

KINGSTON, RI — Backyard egg producers have been invited to participate in a University of Rhode Island survey.

The survey by Terpase Gbaa, a Ph.D. candidate in the University of Rhode Island’s Department of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences, will examine whether small-scale producers are equipped to keep their eggs safe for their families and potential buyers.

"As more families and small enterprises enter the egg market and more consumers buy local food, the stakes around backyard egg safety are growing," a post on the university website said.

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"A single outbreak linked to small producers could pose a setback to public confidence in locally sourced food at a critical moment for New England’s regional food system," the post said.

Gbaa is surveying small-scale and backyard egg farmers to determine their awareness of food safety practices and to identify gaps that could put consumers at risk.

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Gbaa is a member of the university's Food Systems Lab, which conducts food systems research and is led by Associate Professor Patrick Baur.

“Food safety can be very expensive and intensive food safety rules can also be a barrier to entry, meaning that it’s harder for young people to get started in farming and other food businesses because of the steep learning curve and higher up-front cost," Baur said in the post.

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While eggs are affordable, protein-rich and well-suited to small farm production, eggs and the chickens that produce them can also carry pathogens such as avian influenza or salmonella, potentially causing significant illness in humans, according to the post.

"Smaller-scale producers with smaller flocks have less exposure, but the risk is never zero," the post said.

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“Minimizing their vulnerability to contamination is important,” Baur said. “This project aims to help small-scale producers have the tools, knowledge, and skills needed to manage and reduce their vulnerability in the same way that their larger, better-resourced counterparts do. We want to make sure that smaller-scale producers have access to what they need to provide the safest eggs possible.”

Egg producers in New England interested in participating in the survey can email Patrick Baur at pbaur@uri.edu to join.

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